Ski pole



J. MARCHAND Oct. 6, 1964 SKI POLE Filed June 16, 1961 RM m MC Wm M s w ou d W um ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,151,875 SKI POLE JacquesMarchand, Newark, N.J., assignor to Marco Systems, Inc., Newark, N..I.,a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 16, 1961, Ser. No. 131,949 1Claim. (Cl. 28011.37)

This invention relates to ski poies. An object of the invention is theprovision of a ski pole improved as to safety. Another object is toprovide a pole having an improved weight-sustaining quality. A furtherobject is to provide an improved joint between the pole and its disk.The usual ski pole disk consists of a circular ring having oppositepoints connected by crossing flexible bands or strips, which leave openspaces therebetween. One defect of such construction is that the disksometimes gets caught in branches, stones, or the like. In that event,since the skiers wrist is held in a looped strap at the upper end of thepole, it has happened many times that skiers wrists have been sprainedor broken. The disk herein shown avoids the mentioned defect by makingthe disk of a solid unperforated sheet.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a rubber jointbetween the pole and the disk, in lieu of the usual ball joint. Also,instead of employing a flexible joint between the pole and disk, I mayhave a rigid joint and construct the disk, near the pole, so that itflexes relative to the pole. I have found that, by making the diskproper so that its undersurface rises radially from the center to theperiphery, the weight-sustaining quality is increased, if also the diskis imperforate, and that this quality is further improved if the jointconnecting the disk to the pole is placed below the center of the diskproper. Either of these features may be used alone to improve a skipole, but both together make a substantial advance in the art.

The drawings illustrate the invention, and in these:

FIGURE 1 shows a sectionalized perspective of a dished, imperforate diskon a pole shown fragmentarily;

FIGURE 2 is similar to FIGURE 1 except that the thickness of the diskand its peripheral flange are tapered and made of cast metal and thepole and disk are not in right angle relation;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view showing the disk of FIGURE 2 with aperipheral reinforcement in lieu of a downwardly extending flange;

FIGURE 4 shows in section a modified form of imperforate disk, in whichonly the undersurface rises from the center to the periphery of the diskproper;

FIGURE 5 shows a rubber joint between the disk and the pole; and

FIGURE 6 shows a disk of a synthetic resinous plastic material so formedas to be flexible near its center.

Referring to the drawings for a detailed description, and at first toFIGURE 1, the numeral 7 indicates a dished, circular, imperforate disk,both the lower and upper surfaces of which rise from its center to itsperiphery. A downwardly and outwardly extending flange 3 extends fromthe periphery of the disk, and serves to penetrate snow. The ski pole 9is connected to the disk below the lower surface of the disk. The reasonfor having the undersurface of the disk at a rising angle, and ofconnecting the pole below the center of the disk, is that thereby thedisk better turns from an oblique position relative to the pole, whichit frequently assumes, to a position 3,151,875 Patented 0st. 6, 1964 atright angles to the pole when the latter is pushed into the snow, inwhich position the disk provides the best sustaining eeffct. This can beshown by the greater projected area of the disk from that half of thelatter which is closest to the point of the pole and which forms anacute angle with that part of the pole below the disk. The mentionedjoint is a ball joint formed by the ball 12, which surrounds the poleand is held in a race 13, the latter being held in a casing 14 whichdepends from the central part of the disk.

FIGURE 2 shows a disk similar to that of FIGURE 1, except that it tapersfrom a thicker center to a thinner periphery and the depending flange 8aalso tapers to a thinner end and the Whole disk is die cast. Theconstruction of the ball joint connecting the disk and the pole, and itsposition, are similar to FIGURE 1, the casing containing the joint beinglabelled 14a. FIGURE 3 shows a modified peripheral portion of disk 7a ofFIGURE 2, wherein a reinforcing rim 17 is substituted for flange 8a.

FIGURE 4 shows a modified disk 20 in which the upper surface, with theexception of a depressed central portion, is flat, but the lowersurface, like that of disks 7 and 7a, rises from the central area to theperiphery. The construction and disposition of the joint connecting thedisk to the pole is similar to that of FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 5 shows the pole 9 connected to a rigid dished disk 25 by a jointof rubber or other resilient material. The rubber 27 is an annulussurrounding the pole and has circular upper and lower grooves 23 toimprove up and down flexibility, said annulus being rigidly secured tothe disk and the pole. This joint also is disposed below the centralarea of the disk.

FIGURE 6 shows a dished disk 30 connected to the pole. The disk is, ingeneral, rigid, but is made flexible near its junction with the pole byreason of the circular groove 31 formed in its upper surface and theannular head 32 on its lower surface, below the groove 31, and a littleoffset therefrom, to form the angle 33. The groove and angle constitutetwo different bending joints. The disk bends at the groove on one halfof the disk, and at the angle in the other half, when the pole is driveninto the snow at an angle. The two bending joints provide a longer wearfor the disk. The disk, which may be of a synthetic resinous plastic, isrigidly connected to the pole below the main part of the disk.

What is claimed is:

The combination of: a rigid ski pole disk having a central aperture, thelower surface of the disk rising from its center to its periphery, and aski pole passing through said aperture, and means connecting the pole tothe disk and providing a pivotal connection permanently located belowthe overall resisting surface area of the disk, the latter beingimperforate except for said central aperture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,961,099 Dickson May 29, 1934 2,721,084 Weiss Oct. 18, 1955 FOREIGNPATENTS 744,407 Germany Ian. 15, 1944 452,698 Italy Oct. 28, 1949470,439 Canada .Ian. 2, 1951 83,006 Norway Ian. 18, 1954 92,124 NorwayMay 24, 1958

